Schwarzenegger's Workout Routine

Books by Arnold

Just about everyone who walks the face of the earth has heard of
the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger. The man is an inspiration to millions of
men around the world, both in success and fitness.

Even though times have changed -- today's bodybuilders are far bigger than in
Arnold's time -- we can still learn a lot from the man that brought bodybuilding
to the masses.

Because so many guys want to know how Arnold did it, I've decided to recap his
bodybuilding tips, principles and routines to help any aspiring or veteran
bodybuilder learn from the best. Arnold's philosophy" The secret is to make your
mind work for you -- not against you."
- Arnold's bodybuilding philosophy

Arnold's approach to bodybuilding was more mental than physical. For him, it was
(and still is) all or nothing. While competing, he didn't go through the
motions; he worked out to be larger than life. on working out Thinking there is
a recipe to gaining mass was something Arnold Schwarzenegger frowned upon. He
favored execution and the moment over strict routines.

He would mix things up -- sometimes he'd even work out twice a day. He did a lot
of forced reps and pyramids by adding weight to each set. He preferred doing 6
to 10 reps per set and sometimes (to break though plateaus) did 20 sets per body
part. for beginners Arnold always reminds beginners that they have to start
somewhere and that it's better to start slowly rather than quit quickly.
According to him, it is preferable to spend more time at the gym doing your sets
and reps properly rather than rush through your routine, see no results and
ultimately give up.

He warns that novice bodybuilders should not neglect any body parts and advises
that they should always face obstacles instead of shy away from them.

When Arnold came to America, he had a huge upper body but twiggy legs and
calves, and always wore long pants to hide this. To combat this weakness, he
purposely started wearing shorts to expose what he was least proud of.

It worked The humiliation forced him to develop some of the biggest calves in
the industry (some believe he has calf implants, but that's best left for
another article). Too many men, according to him, cover up their weaknesses. By
facing your flaws, you will gain the drive to conquer them.

He also warns against using exercises just because others do them. He believes
that "in bodybuilding, you're essentially conducting a research experiment on
yourself," so one shouldn't use an exercise because it is popular.

Arnold's attitude When Arnold used to work out for competition, he would
completely zone out and concentrate on the muscle and set at hand. This
philosophy is at the core of his approach to life in general (and judging by his
success, it must have worked).

In a documentary, he explained that when he exercises his biceps, for example,
he imagines them growing and growing, until they fill up the entire gym. on
bulking up Today Arnold admits that in the past, bodybuilders had the wrong idea
when they bulked up to gain mass (they didn't know as much about dieting as we
do now and didn't have the supplements available today).

Bulking up is the process of consuming as many calories as possible to gain as
much weight as possible. This causes muscular gain, but also makes one gain fat.
He now confesses that eating a proper diet all year round is a better approach
to health and fitness.

In fact, eating is at the core of his bodybuilding principles. Many come to him
asking what the best way to gain weight is. His reply is usually proper
nutrition along with intensive training.

Bulking up is a sure way of gaining mass (and it shows when you compare him to
today's professionals like Flex Wheeler), but by simply keeping fat content low
and recording what you consume in a food log, one can gain, according to him, 12
pounds of pure muscles mass each year until they reach their body-size limit.
eating and resting For those who have a hard time gaining weight, he advises
that they should:

Eat 5-6 smaller meals a day
Eat carbs half an hour after exercising
Rest at least 3 days a week
Sleep 8 or more hours a day
Eat 30 to 50 grams of protein with each meal every 3 hours
Not avoid unsaturated fats because they raise hormone levels
Eat between 60 and 100 grams of carbs per day
Eat no more than 3 eggs a day
Substitute beef and pork with chicken and fish
Avoid sugar -- it contains empty calories; eat fruits and vegetables for carbs
instead
Use supplements and protein shakes to get the required daily amount of protein